The One Night Curse
by spotpc
Summary: One shot, revised Oct 14. Inuyasha and his gang are stuck in an old shrine during a storm. Suddenly, a mysterious woman appears and casts a spell on them. They wake up to find that they've all switched bodies. Can things get any worse? R&R Please.


This is an early fanfic of mine. I think it was born on a dark and stormy night. But I thought it was kinda funny so I wrote it all down. If you really like my style,come visitmy website. It's an IY shrine site, so be prepared.

Notes:

1. I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters. I'm just kidnapping them for a while.

2. I'm using the Japanese suffixes and nicknames for the characters' names in the dialogue. If you're not a downloader, here's a little explanation:

"Houshi-sama" is Sango's nickname for Miroku. Roughly translated, it means "sir monk". Strange, but true.

The suffix "-sama" is a term of respect.

"Wimpy wolf" is Inuyasha's nickname for Kouga.

The suffix "-kun" is an affectionate term for a guy friend. Kagome uses it when she talks about Kouga.

The suffix "-chan" is an affectionate term for a child or a close friend. Kagome uses it when she talks about Shippo.

Enjoy! Read and review please!

The One-Night Curse

Shippo covered his eyes as another lightning flash blinded him. The rain pounded the forest floor like a dozen jackhammers. A few feet away, Kilala was clinging to Sango's shoulder as if her life depended on it. But Shippo could hardly see her from where he sat on Kagome's shoulder. The sheet of water falling from the sky made the world outside the umbrella look grey as the gang splashed down the muddy road. Kagome's fast breathing warmed Shippo's face as he turned away from the storm.  
"I've never seen a storm come up so fast," he said.  
"That's 'cause you're just a little kid," Inuyasha sneered from Kagome's other side. His head was tilted at a strange angle to take advantage of the umbrella.  
"Gee, I thought umbrellas were for women and children," Shippo snapped back.  
"Keh," Inuyasha sniffed and stood up straight, letting the raindrops bounce off his ears as he kept running.  
"Can't you two leave each other alone for a second?" Kagome asked.  
"He started it," Shippo whined and turned back to watch the storm.  
Miroku had left Sango and Kilala under the protection of Kagome's extra umbrella and gotten a little bit ahead of the others. He was only just visible through the downpour. A moment later, he skidded to a stop and gestured for the others to do the same. The girls slowed down and stopped a little way behind Miroku but Inuyasha went ahead to see what was wrong.  
"Houshi-sama, what is it?" Sango called.  
"We've run out of road," he replied. "This bridge is washed out. We'll never get across this river the way it is."  
Sango moved forward then, and gazed down at the flooding river.  
"We'll have to wait for the storm to pass," she said. "Once the water goes down, we can ford it."  
"Hey, how about we wait out the storm in there?" Kagome asked, pointing at the vague shape of a building in the woods.  
"Looks good to me," Shippo said.

The little shrine looked like it had been abandoned for years. The dark corners were littered with all kinds of garbage and part of the roof had collapsed, leaving a large puddle on one side of the room. But at least the rest of it was dry and the gang welcomed what little comfort it could give. Kagome took out a cigarette lighter and started a small fire with some scraps of paper she gathered from the floor.  
"That fire won't last long," Sango said.  
"It's all we've got until morning," Kagome replied. "Everything else is wet."  
"We could burn our clothes," Miroku suggested, glancing at Sango.  
"They're wet too," Sango said with a withering glare.  
"I wonder what this scroll is here on the wall," Shippo said, changing the subject.  
The scroll was so faded and dusty that the words were unreadable. The corners were curled with age and it smelled of incense.  
"It's probably just a protection spell," Miroku said. "It would make sense for an old shrine like this to have one."  
"I can't believe we're stuck here," Inuyasha complained, working himself into a rage. "This is the most boring place I've ever seen. We should still be out there looking for Naraku."  
"We can't do anything in that storm," Kagome tried to reason with him.  
"What, you're afraid of a little rain?" he growled. He crouched down and shook himself, spraying water all over the room.  
"Hey!" the others chorused.  
A high pitched shriek made them all freeze and stare. A strange woman was standing in the doorway. Her long hair and black kimono were perfectly dry, despite the storm raging outside. And she looked very angry. Even Inuyasha was speechless as the woman glared around at everyone.  
"Fools," she hissed. "This is a shrine to a living Buddha. The scroll that protects this place from evil was never supposed to get wet. If water touches it, evil will be able to take hold of the shrine."  
At those words, everyone turned to look at the scroll again. A few drops of water were running down the paper. Kagome gasped. Inuyasha's eyes widened in a worried look.  
"For what you've done, I, the priestess of this shrine, smite you all with the Curse of One Night."

Inuyasha was the first to wake up. He couldn't have been unconscious for very long because the weather hadn't changed very much outside. But the fire had gone out, just like Sango said it would, leaving the room dark and chilly. A quick look around the room told him two things. One, the priestess was gone. Two, something very strange had happened. Was that his body lying there across the room? It had to be. The Fire-rat kimono, the ears, the white hair. There was no doubt about it. He wasn't in his own body. But then... whose body was he in?  
"Kagome," he whispered in her voice, looking down at the green skirt and brown shoes.  
"Inuyasha?"  
Was that his own voice he heard? Yes and no. Was that Kagome in there? Probably.  
"Kagome?" he asked, just to make sure.  
He saw his own head move and look up at him, the amber-colored eyes scanning the new face he was wearing.  
"Don't freak out," he warned quickly, not daring to hope.  
"Oh... my... GOD!!"

Fifteen minutes later, the whole gang was gazing at their reflections in the pool of rainwater in the corner. Sango used Miroku's hands to lift Shippo's little body up onto her shoulder.  
"We're guys, Kilala. This is horrible. What are we going to do?"  
Kilala tilted Shippo's head and said nothing, as usual.  
"We'll wait it out, that's what," Inuyasha said, grimacing at the feminine voice he was forced to use.  
"What do you mean?" Sango asked, matching his expression.  
"The witch called it the Curse of One Night. In the morning, we'll all go back to our own bodies," he replied.  
"She wasn't a witch," Kagome growled through clenched fangs. "She was a priestess. There's a difference, if you don't mind."  
"So this is a temporary condition," Miroku said as he reached for the unguarded butt behind him. He had almost succeeded when Sango grabbed hold of the offending hand.  
"A condition you're happy to take advantage of, I see," she snapped.  
"My hand is cursed," he whined.  
"That's MY hand. It's your mind that's cursed."  
"It's your back that's cursed. Why is it so stiff?" He yanked his hand away from her and reached up to touch the scar under her shoulder blades.  
"It gets like that when it rains. Ever since... you know."  
Miroku shut his mouth then. He didn't want to press her on that subject. Inuyasha, however, had no qualms.  
"Wait a second. If you knew it was going to rain, why didn't you warn us?"  
"I wasn't sure," Sango said, turning toward him. "Sometimes my back gets stiff and nothing happens."  
"That's because it doesn't predict the weather," Kagome giggled. "It reacts to changes in air pressure."  
The others looked over at her in amazement. How could she be lighthearted at a time like this? Like Miroku, she was taking advantage of the curse. She had a wide grin spread across Inuyasha's face and a hand on each ear.  
"Why didn't you tell me this tickled?" she asked, clawed fingers working.  
Kilala's little form bounced up and down beside the far wall.  
"Yes, Shippo, we all see the wet paper," Miroku said exasperated as he reached around for Sango's butt again.  
"Stop that!" Sango howled, diving to stop him.  
"You can't hit me, I'm a woman," he squealed.  
"Houshi-sama!!"  
Inuyasha sighed.  
"Am I the only sane one here?" he asked.  
"Welcome to my world," Kagome intoned, still rubbing the ears.

"You can't run, Kagome," Kouga's voice floated out of the darkness. It seemed to be everywhere at once. Inuyasha ran anyway. Kagome's body was so slow, and Kouga's voice got louder. "You're my woman, Kagome." No, Inuyasha wanted to scream. But he couldn't speak. A patch of light appeared ahead of him and he ran as fast as he could to get there. As soon as the light touched him, he realized it was a forest clearing. And it wasn't empty. On the other side, his body stood motionless with its back to him. A wave of relief like he'd never felt before passed over him. Surely, Kouga wouldn't dare come near now. But the feeling of security shattered as his body turned to face him. Kikyo's arms were wrapped tightly around its neck, locked in a passionate kiss. Kouga's voice came softly this time. "You see, Kagome, he doesn't want you. It's always been her, you know it's true."  
Inuyasha snapped awake with Kagome's body soaked in sweat. It only took a moment for his mind to clear. Was that Kagome's nightmare? It would make sense. Her body, her dreams. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sleep through the curse. But what did that dream mean anyway? Did his feelings for Kikyo really bother Kagome that much? And what the heck was that wimpy wolf doing inside her head? That idiot never quits. Inuyasha stretched Kagome's body out flat on the wooden floor, listening to the rain pelt the roof. Maybe a little relaxation would make the answers come faster. He fell asleep again right away.

"Worthless half-breed," Sesshomaru snarled as he swung his energy whip. Kagome yelped and threw the red fire-rat sleeve up in front of her. She could feel the electric snap of the whip off the material. "It's your fault he's dead. You and your dirty blood." Another snap at the sleeve made Kagome jump backwards. No, she wanted to scream. But she couldn't speak. "You killed father." A third blow made Kagome fall backwards onto the ground. She could see Sesshomaru clearly, his eyes glowing red and glaring down at her. And above him in the distance, the giant skeleton of his father loomed, shrouded in mist. "I'll put an end to your abomination," the demon hissed, and swung his whip one more time. Kagome watched the blow coming in slow motion, unable to lift her sleeve again to block. It wasn't exactly painful.  
But it shocked her awake anyway. A lightning flash illuminated the room as she sat up and opened her eyes. Everything seemed normal, except for the whole body-switching thing. Was that Inuyasha's nightmare? Sesshomaru, she thought. Why did he have to ruin everything? She could have been dreaming about flying or running super-fast, or anything. That racist idiot. It occurred to her then that it must be hard to take that kind of abuse all the time. Poor Inuyasha, his life has been so hard. She laid his body back down on the floor and looked across at her own. It looked fine. She surveyed the room once again. Miroku's body was curled up nearby with Shippo and Kilala. Miroku and the big red slap mark on Sango's cheek were not far away. He had Sango's hand on her butt again, but it wasn't moving. God, he was a lecher even in his sleep. Almost unconsciously, she reached up and started rubbing Inuyasha's ears again. Strange how fast she had gotten used to doing that. It took her a little while to fall back to sleep, hands slowly dropping from the ears.

The first thing Inuyasha noticed when he woke again was that the sound of the rain was gone. He opened his eyes on the morning light streaming in from the doorway. Suddenly, he remembered the curse. Was it over? He looked over his red kimono and his clawed hands. He was back in his own body. He was on his feet in a moment.  
"Now that's a sight for sore eyes," he said.  
"What is?" Shippo's sleepy voice asked.  
"Open your eyes, stupid," Inuyasha growled.  
"Hey, the curse is over," the little fox cried, hugging himself joyfully.  
"Shippo-chan, is that you?"  
Kagome was awake.  
"Houshi-sama!!"  
And so were Sango and Miroku.  
"Kagome, why are my ears tingling?" Inuyasha asked.  
"I don't know," she replied innocently.

They all gathered their things and left the little shrine behind. None were particularly sorry to be leaving as they got back onto the road. But they stopped again just as they reached the river. The priestess was standing on the bank, as if she'd been waiting for them. She looked much less forbidding in the light of day with the wet leaves hanging all around her.  
"Well, did you learn anything?" she asked calmly.  
"Learn anything? Keh," Inuyasha sniffed and made it to the opposite bank in one leap.  
The priestess fixed the others with a knowing gaze as they passed by her. They kept glancing warily back at her as they waded across the river. As soon as they turned a corner in the road and lost sight of her, Kagome spoke up.  
"You know, I did learn something last night."  
"Like what?" Inuyasha asked, slowing down to walk beside her.  
"It's not easy being you," she said, looking up at him.  
"You're just figuring that out?" he asked.  
"You have some pretty awful nightmares, Inuyasha," she said.  
"You were having my dreams too?"  
"You mean you were having my dreams?"  
There was a pause during which Kagome and Inuyasha studied each other's faces. Miroku took the opportunity.  
"Hey, Sango..."  
"Don't ask. I don't even want to think about it again," she said, curling her lip in disgust.  
"What were they wearing?"  
"Settle down, Houshi-sama."  
"Hey, that reminds me," Inuyasha piped up again. "What was the wimpy wolf doing in your dream, Kagome?"  
"Kouga-kun was in my dream?"  
"Don't play dumb with me! You're dreaming about him now!" Inuyasha howled. "I'll really kill him next time, I swear!"  
"Inuyasha, sit boy."


End file.
